Las Palabras
by Staci Marie
Summary: Four years ago, Serenity found she had a talent. Now a highschooler, she manages to read herself into Inkheart. In it, she learns the trials of friendship and betrayal, the brutality and ignorance of man, and the true meaning of love SPOILERS for Inkspell
1. Beginnings, Introductions, and the Sort

Hey, everyone! Uh, this is my first fanfic ever! Go me! Uh, constructive criticism: I love it. Please tell me if I've done good, bad…I want to hear it. Just keep in mind this is my first, and I might have got some fan-fictiony elements wrong, or something…I don't know! So please, tell me if I do, and I will fix it!

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim any of the Inkworld characters: Meggie, Mo, Resa, the Black Prince, etc.

However, Serenity Chaffins and Sean Bennett are all mine:D

**Beginnings, Introductions, and the Sort**

Serenity Chaffins sat in her English II class, sixth period, her heart thudding in her chest. She quietly tapped her fingers on her desk, and she nervously bit her lip. She tried her best not to make eye contact with—in fact, not even look at—the teacher. So, instead, she focused her attention on a little brown spider, busily spinning its web in a crevice between two dusty cabinets in the corner of the classroom. She slowly sank into her seat, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible; she was uselessly hiding from Ms. Jones's all-seeing eye. "Are there no volunteers to read aloud today?" she had asked. When she received no response, she then replied, "Then I shall select a student at random." Her hawk-like gaze passed over each student sitting in the classroom, searching out her next victim. Serenity held her breath as she felt her teacher's eyes rest upon her, and they seemed to linger for the longest time. She concentrated even harder on the spider. Then, she heard what she had been dreading all day. "Serenity," Ms. Jones called out, "Why don't you read for us today?"

"Ms. Jones," Heather protested in vain, "Please don't make me read aloud, it's this—this _thing_…well, what I mean is I—"

"Now, Miss Serenity," Ms. Jones said sternly, placing her hands on her thin hips, "You have a _beautiful_ voice, and I will not let you get away with not reading aloud, you do such a lovely job."

"But, Ms. Jones, I—"

"No, Serenity. No buts. Now, read." Ms. Jones sat down at her desk, adjusted her thin wire-rimmed glasses, and looked down at her book, "Paragraph three, if you will," her teacher prompted, and then Serenity gave a deep sigh. She took a breath, and then she began to read.

Now, let me assure you before we go any farther, Serenity Chaffins did not do poorly when it came to reading. On the contrary, she excelled at it. She was an avid reader and a very prominent writer. But she had something no one else had…some would call it a gift, and some a curse, but Serenity saw it as a sort of talent; a talent that needed to be maintained and refined—and carefully watched. It could come as a benefit or a bother…even extremely dangerous, in some cases.

This happened to be one of those cases.

She remembered it clearly—the day she had discovered this talent. How could she forget it? It was four years ago, in her 6th grade Reading Comprehension class. The teacher had called on her to read aloud. Serenity was ecstatic. She sometimes longed for the days that she looked forward to her reading classes, and the opportunity to read out loud. She always had a nice voice, crisp and clear. She never stumbled or faltered over any words, and her diction was exquisite. But that day it had been different—her voice, that is; it wasn't the same.

They were reading a novel, Inkheart. It was required reading in the state of New York. Her teacher, Mr. Lee, said that they would read out loud a few pages together each day, and eventually they would have the novel read. That day, it was Serenity's turn to read a page aloud to the class. She excitedly opened her book to the specified page, then began to read the description Fenoglio gave of the Wayless Wood.

She had never read like this before. The words gently glided off of Serenity's tongue like a softly flowing brook. They leapt and danced in front of her classmates eyes, bringing the story to life in their classroom. The children could taste, feel, smell, and see the story, as if they were thrust into it themselves…fairies fluttered overhead, leaves brushed against their cheeks, water splashed about their ankles. It was magical, and the magic seemed to leap into every one of the children's hearts, into their minds, into their souls. The feeling each of them had was indescribable.

Then, Serenity finished reading. The magic disappeared. And so did something else.

His name was Sean Bennett. He was Serenity's best friend in the world: he had been since kindergarten. He was a short boy, with freckles and a mop of hair as red as fire. He had bright blue eyes that were always full of energy and excitement, kindness and compassion. He was one of the best people Serenity had ever met, and they spent almost every waking moment together. Serenity couldn't help but smile every time she thought about him; he had the gift to always be able to make her laugh.

And then he was gone.

Serenity had completed her page. She looked up, a bright smile spread across her face. Never before had she read anything like that…ever. A bubble of pride rose up in her chest as she looked at her classmates' faces: shock, amazement, and even a little fear was evident in them all. She leaned over to the desk right next to her and whispered, "Oh, my gosh, Sean, can you believe I did that?" But she didn't get a response. She looked over to see that her friend was missing. And sitting at his desk there was a small fire elf.

"Hey, Mr. Lee," Serenity began, her voice beginning to tremble, "Do you know where Sean is?" Her teacher looked at her confusedly.

"Well," he began, his dark brow furrowed, "I don't know, he was just here. And he didn't ask to leave the room or anything."

"He was here just before Serenity began to read," A student piped in, "I know, because I asked him what page we were on." Then, the whole class, including Mr. Lee, stared at Serenity. A wave of sudden understanding rushed through the whole classroom.

"Was it just me," another student said, speaking to the whole class, "or did something freaky happen when Serenity read that book?"

"And what is _that_!?" a small girl shrieked, pointing at the elf. Another girl screamed in shock. The elf flew away, out an open window. The class began to buzz:

"Serenity, what did you _do_?"

"Did you make him disappear?"

"Can you bring him back?"

"Did you bring that thing here, too?"

"Was that magic?"

Serenity was close to tears by that time. What _had_ she done? Had she really made her best friend disappear? And, above all else, _how_ did she do it?

After that, Serenity's memory began to blur. She remembered seeing "Missing Child" signs everywhere, a picture of a happy, smiling boy in the center. His name appeared on the news, in the papers…and every time Serenity heard his name or saw his picture, something seemed to pierce her through her heart. It was a sad and lonely feeling. She remembered walking through the hallways, and having her classmates stay clear of her. She remembered the hurtful things they'd said to her: "Better stay away, or that witch will make _you_ disappear too," "She made her best friend go away, think of what she might do to _you_." And from then on, she was known as an outcast, a traitor…a witch. That's the bothersome part of it all.

But Serenity learned how to perfect her art. She learned to make sure, before she read anything aloud, that there was only one other living thing—usually a small insect—around when she did so. She learned how to choose what to pull out from the stories…she usually tried to go with something small and very insignificant to the story's plot. She didn't know what would happen if she released a principle character into her world. Would it throw the whole story off balance? Surely she didn't want to find out first hand. But she got better—and eventually her classmates forgot that fateful day.

And here she was again, stuck in the same situation she had been in four years ago. But this time she knew the dangers, this time she didn't have a choice. She was grateful her paragraph wasn't a very long one. She tried to read it quickly, and sloppily, but it just wouldn't happen. The words were as sweet as honey to hear, and they flowed through her classmates' senses. Serenity's heartbeat grew rapid. Will another of her classmates disappear? Will she have to endure taunting and ridicule from her classmates again, after it all had finally worn off?

Serenity completed her paragraph. She took a deep breath as she looked around the classroom…everyone seemed to be there. And then—

"Hey, where did Ms. Jones go?" a girl cried out. A boy that was in her Reading class in sixth grade said, "The witch has done it again! In sixth grade she read out loud, and a boy disappeared," the boy, who's name was Brian, so kindly informed the class, "Now she's done the same thing to our teacher!" Various murmurs were heard throughout the classroom. Serenity's face turned a bright red, and she could feel the tears well up inside her, but she tried to hold them back.

"I haven't done anything!" she said shakily, "I don't know what's happened!"

"Why did you do it?" the girl sitting next to her asked.

"I _didn't_!" Serenity insisted, "I didn't do _anything_!"

"Yeah, right!" Brian said, standing up and pointing an accusing finger at Serenity, "That's what you said last time! But that boy disappeared for good, he hasn't come back! And _he _was her _best friend_!" The class uttered a unanimous gasp, and animated chatter sprung up everywhere, eyes darting to and from Serenity.

Then, all of a sudden, the door opened.

"Ms. Jones!" a girl cried as she stood up, "You're back!"

"Why, yes," their teacher said, faltering, "I—I am. I had no idea I'd be so greatly missed going to the principal's office!" There was an awkward silence for a few moments, then the classroom burst into a huge bout of laughter. Serenity gave a long, deep sigh of relief.

"Brian, Serenity!" one boy said through his laughter, "You really had us going! Did you guys plan that out or something?" Serenity responded with a few relieved giggles, but Brian just leered at her.

"I know what you did, and I know what you _can_ do," he coldly whispered, and then a small chipmunk scuttled across the classroom floor, unnoticed by all but Serenity and Brian. It had been just what Serenity had chosen to come out of the story, if anything did. But if something appeared, then something would have had to disappear. Then, Serenity remembered the spider.

It was gone, and a half finished web hung limply between two dusty cabinets in the corner of the classroom.


	2. A Crumpled Sheet of Notebook Paper

**A Crumpled Sheet of Notebook Paper**

Serenity sat cross-legged on her bed in her room at home, after a very stressful day at school. She thought about that day, back in sixth grade, and the pain and the ridicule she had had to endure. She thought of Sean, and the time that they had spent together as children. She stood up, and walked over to her bookshelf, and chose a book with a dark red cover: Inkheart. She sat back down on her bed and flipped through its pages, thinking. She reached over to her side and grabbed a small glass jar with an ant inside of it. She found a good place in the book, and chose a subject to read out of it. She began to read, letting the words slide off her tongue, easily and effortlessly. Then, in an instant, the ant was gone, and in its place a firefly whizzed around the room, above Serenity's head. Serenity then got out a plain piece of paper, and began to write. She wrote about that lightning bug flying through the Wayless Wood, using every bit of detail that Fenoglio himself had used in Inkheart—no more, and no less. Then, she read that, and the firefly was gone as easily as it had come.

Serenity pulled a crumpled sheet of notebook paper from her pocket, and smoothed it out on her leg. How many times she had pulled out this piece of paper, only to look at it for a moment, then wad it up and put it back in her pocket. But tonight it was going to be different. Tonight she was going to do it. She held the sheet in front of her, filled up with handwritten letters, smudges, and cross-outs. It had to be perfect—and this was as close as she could get. The paper gave a description of a girl in the Inkworld, in the middle of the Wayless Wood. She hoped and prayed that it would work. It worked for the lightning bug, why shouldn't it for her? But there was going to be no backing out tonight.

Serenity scribbled a note to her mom, explaining everything. Then she began to read.

Everything was dark. Serenity opened her eyes to see nothing but darkness. She started to feel dizzy with worry—had she messed up somehow? Where exactly was she? She ran her hand across the ground, and felt grass beneath her. She stood up shakily, and she took a step forward, her hands outstretched in front of her. Another step. She felt the rough bark of a tree beneath her palms, she felt her way around the trunk…and noticed that it was one of the largest she had ever beheld! She looked around as her eyes began to adjust to the darkness. She saw the faint outline of trees and various bushes all around her. Then, she gave a squeal of delight. She was there! She, herself, was in the middle of the Wayless Wood, her favorite place in all of the Inkworld!

Then, fear began to creep into her heart. She remembered all of the evil things that came out at night in the middle of the forest—Night Mares, wolves...and that was just the beginning. She then heard something growling in the distance. Serenity's heart leapt into her throat. She attempted to climb the large tree, but se couldn't pull herself onto even the lowest branch; she never was an athletic person. Then, she heard footsteps…many footsteps. Serenity looked to her left and to her right, searching for a sufficient hiding place. The footsteps were getting closer. She could see many orange flickering lights ahead through the foliage of the forest. She could hear people talking in the distance. Serenity uttered an inward squeal and rushed behind the tree, praying that it would hide her from view. She could make out the faces of the group that was advancing towards her. There was a young girl and boy, an old man, a few adult women and men, and then…

Serenity leapt out from her hiding place as she recognized one person in the group. It was the Black Prince, followed by his faithful bear. He was just as she imagined he would look like…he was one of her favorite characters in the book.

As soon as Serenity revealed herself, the small company took a startled step back in unison. The young girl stepped forward first.

"Your clothes…" she said in amazement and wonder, "Where did you get them?" Serenity then realized that she was dressed completely different than everyone in this world, in her blue jeans and polo shirt. She should have thought of this before! She had to say something…but what?

"Uh…" Serenity began, "I got them at home—where I come from. It's, uh, very, very far from here…and this is, um, what we wear."

"You don't happen," said the girl slowly and cautiously, "to come from a place called Europe, do you?" Serenity looked at her bewilderedly.

"No, uh, actually I come from a place called America." The girl's eyes got wide, and she stared at Serenity open-mouthed. "How do you know about—"

"How did you get here?" the girl asked, ignoring Serenity's question. Serenity looked away in embarrassment, and mumbled quietly, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Oh, I believe she would," a man from the group said, stepping forward. He put a hand on the girl's shoulder, and said, "Wouldn't you, Meggie?" The girl, Meggie, nodded solemnly, and continued to look at Serenity. The boy came up and whispered into Meggie's ear, "Does she come from your story?"

"Yes, Farid," she said, still not taking her eyes off Serenity, "I believe she does. But she still hasn't answered my question. How did you get here?"

"I-I read a piece of paper," Serenity said, "A-a sort of thing that I wrote."

"A 'sort of thing that you wrote!'" erupted a booming voice from within the crowed, "So that makes two _children_ who have supposedly read themselves here! Ha! It must be a fluke!" Serenity looked at each of them in surprise and said, "Wait a minute! You mean you know someone else that has read themselves here? Who? Where are they?"

"She's right here," said the man whose hand rested on Meggie's shoulder. He patted her twice, and Serenity looked at her in shock.

"You mean you can do it too?" Serenity whispered.

"As can I!" the deep voice from within the crowed chimed jealously. A squat, blonde man stepped from out of the crowd…the ironic owner of the booming voice. "I can read just as well—more than likely better—than you two wanna-be's!"

"Oh, would you please be quiet, Orpheus," the old man complained, "I've heard enough of you already!"

"Fenoglio," Orpheus replied venomously, "I swear, I'll—"

"All right!" The Black Prince said, speaking for the first time thus far, "That's enough! Please, no more bickering. I'm sure that this young lady is very confused, and she deserves answers that I'm sure Meggie has." Meggie smiled up at Serenity warmly.

"I'd be pleased to answer any questions that you may have," Meggie replied.

"But not now," the old man, Fenoglio snapped impatiently, "We have to get out of these godforsaken woods before any of the cursed creatures I invented tries to attack us again."

"Wait a minute!" Serenity exclaimed, clapping her hands joyously, "_You're _Fenoglio! You _wrote_ Inkheart!"

"Oh, goody," he mumbled sarcastically, "That's some accomplishment, isn't it? Being the author of death…that's something to be _really_ proud of."

Serenity looked at him confusedly, "What are you talking about?"

The man standing beside Meggie smiled solemnly and said, "I'm sorry. He's not been himself lately. It seemed his story just got away from him," Serenity still looked at him, puzzled. Then the man put a hand to his forehead and then extended it towards Serenity, "I'm so sorry. We haven't introduced ourselves. This is Meggie, my daughter," he said, motioning to the girl next to him, "This is my wife, Resa," a very beautiful woman stepped forward and also shook Serenity's hand, "This is Farid," he motioned towards the dark-skinned boy standing next to Meggie, "This is Orpheus," the man acknowledged the squat deep-voiced man, "The Black Prince," the prince lifted his hand in response, "And by now I'm sure you already know that this is Fenoglio." The old man sniffed in disgust at his own name. Meggie then grabbed her father's hand and squeezed it gently. "You forgot someone," she said, smiling, "This is my father, Mortimer, but everyone calls him Mo."

"He is also the Bluejay," the Black Prince pointed out, "You cannot forget that."

"Right," Meggie said, rolling her eyes. Then she quietly explained to Serenity, "Everyone around here thinks he is the Bluejay—you know, the one who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. But in reality he is a bookbinder. Yet everyone is dead set on him being some great hero, especially after—well, I'll tell you later, it's a really long story."

"And you haven't told us your name, yet," the Black Prince said with a smile.

"Oh," she said, still adjusting to this new reality that lay before her, "I'm Serenity."

"Serenity," the Prince repeated, "That's a pretty name. Serenity, how old are you?"

"I'm fifteen,"

"And can you do anything?"

"What do you mean?" Serenity asked. Then, she remembered that the Black Prince was the leader of the Motley Folk…minstrels, acrobats...that sort of thing. The Motley Folk were always looking for young people to take over after them when they were gone.

"Well, I can sort of sing…" Serenity replied awkwardly. When she was younger she would get together with some of her close friends, and they had worked out a sort of band, of which Serenity was the lead singer. Eventually, it disbanded after the departure of their lead guitarist. Lately, Serenity had been writing her own songs…but she never went anywhere with them. She never sang for anyone anymore. She just didn't have the heart.

"I'll have to hear you sometime," the Prince said, smiling.

"But not now!" Fenoglio insisted, "Do you want to stay in this wretched forest forever?! Let's go! We only have a little ways to go before we reach Ombra! Come on! We can get there by sunrise if we leave _now_!"

Serenity joined the group and they continued on their way. Serenity had so many questions jumping around in her head, and very little answers.

"So how did Fenoglio end up here, inside the story he wrote?" Serenity asked Meggie, "And why is he so sour?"

"I accidentally read him here," the young girl replied, "And now that he's here he thinks his world has turned against him. For instance, when Cosimo died, he tried to—"

"Cosimo's _dead_?!" Serenity cried, "I can't believe it!" Serenity tried to suppress a sob. If there was one person in all of the Inkworld a fifteen-year-old girl would like to meet, it would be Cosimo the Fair…the most beautiful person alive. Well, now dead. "How did it happen?"

"The Adderhead's fire-raisers did it,"

"I just—I just can't believe it,"

"Capricorn's dead, though," Meggie said, trying to lighten the mood a little. Serenity rolled her eyes.

"Any more principle characters that have died that I should know about?" Serenity asked.

"Well," Meggie replied, looking around cautiously, then she whispered, "There is Dustfinger."

"I knew that, though!" Serenity replied, "It was because of that marten, Gwin, right?"

"Well, not exactly. You see, Farid and Dustfinger were really close. He was like a father to Farid. But then, about a week ago, in Argenta, there was a war. Most of the people on Lombrica's side perished. Including," Meggie took a deep breath, and then continued, "including Farid," Serenity looked at her with perplexity. She looked back and saw a healthy Farid chatting animatedly to the Black Prince.

"But then," Serenity asked, motioning towards the living Farid, "What about—"

"He _was_ dead," Meggie continued with obvious difficulty, "Basta threw—he threw a knife at him…and—and he killed him," there was a long silence, where Meggie just stared off into the distance with a grimace, as though inwardly reliving a painful memory. After several moments, Meggie regained her composure, and continued, "But Dustfinger…who was, of course, a fire eater…heard a story where—well, to make a long story short, he summoned the White Women to replace Farid's life with his. Now, or so the story says, Dustfinger has to stay with the White Women forever, to bring them fire."

"That's so—so…sad," Serenity replied quietly, not knowing what to say, "Farid must be—must be so upset,"

"He is...he feels like it's his fault. It would be great if you didn't bring it up around him, please, it's a really sensitive topic."

"Don't worry," Serenity replied, "I won't."

"Meggie!" a voice cried from behind. Farid came up behind the two girls, and reached for Meggie's hand, "Meggie, guess what?! We're here!"

Sure enough, around the next turn, a wall of trees opened up revealing a curved dirt road that lead straight into the city of Ombra. The sun was just peeking up over the horizon, casting hues of pink and orange into the sky. They had arrived, and Serenity's heart leapt into her throat. There was so much to see, so much to do…so much to explore.

This was the beginning of a wonderful adventure.


	3. Encounter in Ombra

**Encounter in Ombra**

They reached the gates of the city around noon, and by that time Serenity's legs felt like Jell-O. She was a new member of the group, and she hated being a bother, but—

"Would you mind if we stopped to take a rest?" she asked as politely as possible to no one in particular.

"Yes," Resa agreed, "my feet are killing me."

"You guys are a bunch of complainers," Orpheus scolded, "I could go on for hours more!" Yet after about ten minutes he too began complaining about being tired. He sat down on a bench in the heart of town, and commanded pompously, "Servant boy, come massage my feet." Farid looked at him with disgust, but grudgingly obliged.

"I'm doing this for Dustfinger; I'm doing this for Dustfinger…" Serenity heard him muttering as he rubbed Orpheus's abominable soles. Serenity sat down beside the man with a sigh of relief. She let her body relax, and she could feel her eyelids dropping. Then—

"Okay, I'm finished!" Farid exclaimed, and leapt up energetically. The poor girl's eyes popped open as quickly as they had closed. Then he said to Orpheus and Serenity, "And you are too. Come on, we have to get going if we are ever going to help Dustfinger!" And he bounded off towards the castle.

"Now," Serenity asked Meggie, "What exactly are we doing here?"

"We're mainly here to please that man," Meggie replied, motioning toward Orpheus, who was admiring every aspect of the city square, "Because without him, all hope is lost for poor Farid."

"What do you mean, 'all hope is lost?'"

Meggie sighed, "Well, you know how I said Cosimo died?"

"Yes,"

"Well, Fenoglio wrote him back to life—well, a copy of him—with words that he wrote…similar to the ones that brought you here. Farid thinks that Orpheus will be able to write the real Dustfinger back to life, since Fenoglio refuses to do so."

"Wow. Do you think he can do it?"

"I don't know. I really don't."

"Come on!" Orpheus interrupted, as giddy as a schoolboy, "We have to see the Castle of the Laughing Prince!" Meggie groaned.

"Whatever!" Orpheus replied, and then went racing behind Farid to the gateway to the castle.

"Oh!" Serenity exclaimed, "I've always wanted to see the castle!"

"Come _on_ Meggie!" Farid cried from across the crowded street. Meggie laughed and raced towards him, Serenity and the rest close behind. They were on their way.

They made it to the castle in only ten minutes, and it was even grander than Serenity ever expected. She reached out to touch one of the stones when she heard the galloping of horse's hooves and a gasp behind her. She turned around to see a group of men on horseback wearing the colors of the Adderhead.

"Get out of our way," One of them snarled at Serenity, and she slowly slinked over to one side to join Meggie and the others. The rest of them laughed, and Serenity turned a bright red.

"Everybody had better make way for the Adder and his servants!" another proclaimed.

"Or you never know what might happen," one hissed at her. Serenity's embarrassment suddenly turned to anger, and her scarlet face rose up to glare at her oppressor. But when she saw him her bright red face quickly turned a pasty white.

"Sean?" she asked cautiously. She was taking a risky chance, she couldn't be sure that it was really her long-lost friend. But when she looked into his bright blue eyes…she saw someone that didn't belong in this world, someone she had known so well before. "Sean Bennett?" she repeated. His face turned the color of his hair, and he scowled down at the girl.

"_Don't_ you even try to address me, _commoner_," he spat at her, a scowl on his face. His comrades laughed, and one of them said, "You tell her, Goldenfingers, you're catching on fast!" and then they all urged their horses to continue on through the gate into the castle. But the red-haired soldier stayed behind, and when he was out of earshot he whispered to Serenity, "Meet me right outside the city at four o'clock this afternoon," then he was gone, off to join the others.

"What was that all about?" Meggie whispered to Serenity, moments after the Adderhead's soldiers had all gone.

"Truthfully," Serenity replied with a sigh, "I don't know."

"You shouldn't be messing around with the Adderhead's men," Mo cut in, "They are not people you want to make angry. Trust me, I know."

"Did you know that boy, Serenity?" Farid asked.

"I—I think so," Serenity stuttered, "You see, four years ago I made my best friend disappear into this book accidentally; I was reading aloud in class, and at the time, I didn't know what could happen. And that boy…he looked just like him—only older."

"But he was among the Adder's ranks!" Farid interjected.

"Yes," Serenity replied sadly, looking at the empty gateway that led to the castles entrance, "I just must be blinded in the hopes of finding him once again. It's really awful, seeing someone you've known and loved ever since you could remember just leave without a trace—as if he were dead."

"I know," Resa, Meggie, Mo, and Farid all replied in unison.

"So," Meggie said after a moment, touching Serenity's arm and smiling, "Are you going to meet him?"

"I suppose," Serenity replied with a shrug, "What have I got to lose?"


	4. By the Gates of the City

**The Gates of the City**

It was 3:59. Or at least that's what it said on the ring watch on Serenity's middle finger. But who knew? Is the Inkworld's time the same as her own? There was only one way to find out.

Serenity stood with her back against the gate that divided Ombra from the rest of Lombrica. She had managed to shake off Meggie and the rest of them, so she was there all alone. She stood. And she waited. Soon enough, Serenity heard the hooves of a single horse trotting behind her. She turned to see the boy she met earlier ride towards her. When he was about a few feet away, he dismounted and stood next to Serenity, his arms crossed and his eyes coldly locked into hers.

"So," he said icily.

"So what?" Serenity asked warily.

"How do you know my name? No one has ever called me that here. Ever. So tell me, how do you know?!" Serenity blinked in surprise. Could he—her best friend in the world—have forgotten her? Was this really him, or had Serenity made a huge mistake? Surely it wasn't—this person was so rude, so unlike her Sean. But still, there was something about him…it _was _him, she was positive. But why was he acting this way? She just stared at him, speechless, trying to keep her face as unemotional as possible.

"Tell me!" Sean demanded, leering at her, "Who are you?!" Serenity was determined to stay strong. She looked him in the eye, her face set, though a feeling of fear and dread began to creep into her heart.

"Don't you remember?" Serenity asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking. This seemed to anger Sean even more, and he rolled his eyes.

"Quit playing games with me," he growled, grabbing her by the scruff of her shirt and pulling her up to face him, "_Answer me_!"

She looked at him, eyes wide and brow furrowed in confusion, hurt, and embarrassment. Suddenly, Sean looked in shock at the material he had in his hand. He let her go, and he took a step back.

"Those clothes," he said, dumbfounded, "Clothes like that—only come from—but how? And you—you're—" He looked at her for a moment, as if his eyes were playing tricks on him, and then said quietly, "S-Serenity?" She nodded silently, looking at him with a mixture of disgust and relief…if that was even possible. 

"Serenity," Sean whispered, his face red from embarrassment, "I—I'm so sorry, I didn't recognize—" he took a step towards her, his arm outstretched, and Serenity involuntarily took a step back. Sean's hand dropped as quickly as if it was made of lead, and he looked as though he had been slapped in the face. Sean opened his mouth, then closed it again, as if wondering whether or not he should say anything.

"Sean listen," Serenity said, frowning, "This is not how I planned this at all, and obviously you don't want me here, or it's an off day, or something, so I'm just going to leave now, okay?" At that, she turned around and began to walk.

"Serenity, wait," he said, rushing forward and putting his hand on her shoulder, "Don't go," she didn't turn around, but he continued, "It's just been so long, and I wasn't expecting you at all. It was such a shock and surprise, and I completely overreacted. Please, wait. It's just been so long." Then, he smiled and touched a strand of her long, brown hair. "Look at this," he said jokingly, "You let your hair grow out. You liar, you swore you'd never wear it long again." Serenity turned around, and smiled too; she couldn't help it. She looked up at him, and said, "And look at _you_. I can't believe it. You're taller than me now." Then, bubbles of laughter began to spring, and in no time, they were laughing so hard that tears were spilling down their faces. Serenity ran over to Sean and wrapped her arms around his neck, and he picked her up, and swung her around in the air. He put her back down on the ground, his hands on her shoulders, and he looked at her squarely in the face, and he repeated seriously, "I am so sorry."

"Me too," Serenity replied. There was a moment of awkward silence, then Serenity sat down on the ground, leaning back against her hands; Sean followed suit, sitting across from Serenity.

"So," Serenity said with a sly smile, "'Golden_fingers_?' That's definitely one I've never heard before," she giggled, "Where did _that_ come from?"

Sean smiled in embarrassment, and he replied, "It seems like everyone has a strange nickname like that around here...Well, you know how I play the guitar, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I managed to get a hold of a guitar. I was sitting on the side of the road, playing…just strumming around a little…and somehow I managed to accumulate a crowd on that tiny dirt road. The next day, everyone began calling me Goldenfingers, and I guess the name stuck." They both laughed, then continued to talk about how things were going at home—Sean asked about his mother, which made Serenity squirm inside from guilt…her own mother was probably worried sick. But something inside bothered her even more than that right now, and she was burning to ask Sean a question. He was going on about some story about when they were younger, and Serenity butt in, "Sean, why did you join the Adderhead?"

Sean laughed, "Is that what was bothering you? You know, I could always tell when something was wrong."

"Yeah, yeah," Serenity replied impatiently, "Just answer the question."

"Okay, fine…You know how I always felt about reading class, right?"

"You thought it was a complete waste of time."

"Right. So, naturally, I didn't read this book. So, I didn't know who was who...y'know, who was on what side and all. So while I was in the woods, I had a choice. Whether to go right, which I now know leads to Lombrica, or left, which takes you to Argenta. So, I chose left, and that's where I ended up—Argenta. Let's see…I bartered for that guitar, was deemed _Goldenfingers_, and I ended up wandering around the Castle of Night. One of the Adder's people recognized me as 'Goldenfingers.' He asked me if I was a strolling player or something like that and I said no, and that I didn't even know who they were. So he called me up and asked me to play a song, and I played 'Sweet Home Alabama.' He must have liked it, and he was of a high rank, and he invited me in. I later played for the Adderhead himself, and he invited me to join them as one of there official minstrels. I agreed."

"So, you're just their minstrel? Then how come you were in town today as a recognized official?"

"Hang on," Sean laughed, "I'm getting there!" He coughed for emphasis, then continued, "So…one day I was in the castle, alone, and I saw a sword hanging from the wall. I got it down and started messing around with it…you know, moves and tricks that my fencing teacher taught me. Firefox walked in on me when I wasn't looking. I thought I was going to be in huge trouble…y'know, for messing with the Adder's things. But instead he was impressed, and I was, shall I say, promoted. For once, I'm glad my dad forced me to take those fencing lessons," Sean beamed.

Serenity looked at him skeptically with her arms crossed, "You seem rather proud of that, Sean," she said quietly.

"Well," he laughed, "_yeah_. Who wouldn't?! It's a great privilege to be in the upper ranks of the Adderhead's court. Oh!" he suddenly gasped, "Why don't you _join_ me there? You could be their singer! I'm sure they'd be happy to include you, if I recommend you, then—"

"No!" Serenity yelled, "I will not even _consider_ teaming up with the_ Adderhead_! And how could you?!"

Sean laughed again, and said, "Serenity, you are taking all of this way too seriously! Lighten up, would you? It's no big deal!"

"It's no big deal?!" Serenity said in shock, "The Adderhead is destroying lives, he's trying to take over the Inkworld…he's a _murderer_! And you've joined his team?! And you say it's all no big deal?! I think this a _very_ big deal, _Sean Bennett_!"

"Serenity," Sean said, taken aback, "What's wrong? This is just a story, these aren't even real people, they're all imaginary! Somebody just made them all up! It's like we're in one big play, and you get to pick your part and character, and improvise from there! It's all fake, I don't see why you are making such a fuss about it!"

"These aren't just fake people, they have emotions and feelings!" Serenity reached over and pinched Sean on the arm. "See?" she said, "You felt that didn't you?!"

"Yes, but I'm real!" he said, rubbing his arm.

"And whose to say that the people living here aren't?! I've met them, talked with them. They experience fear, and hope, and love—some even come from our world! How are you to discern who is 'real' and who isn't?! You can't! They are all real, this is just a different real that we know!"

"A different real?! What are you _talking_ about?" Sean crossed his arms, "I just don't see why you're so upset, it's all complete stupidity!"

"Is this the same guy who was afraid to kill an ant? Is this the same person who got upset because he accidentally hurt another person? No, I don't think it is. It can't be. You've changed so much, Sean. I don't even think you're the same person. I don't even _know_ you."

Sean looked as though he'd been slapped in the face. He blinked a few times, then said, "Listen, Serenity, I'm sorry, I really am. It's just that—"

"What if I wasn't me today? What would you have done to me? Some undeserving _commoner_ that summoned the high-and-mighty Sean Bennett Goldenfingers, Fencing Master of the Adderhead! Would you have hurt me? Would you have killed me? Things like that are not uncommon from minions of the _Adder_!"

"But, Serenity, I—"

"You know what?" Serenity snapped, glaring up at him, "I don't want to hear it. It looks as though you're perfectly happy where you are, you don't even need me!"

"What?! I never said that I didn't—"

"Just stay here! Become a heartless murderer! See if I care!" Serenity turned around and began to leave. Sean touched her shoulder and said, "Serenity, please, just wait. Let's just talk about this, you're being too rash!"

"No," Serenity said, throwing his hand away from her shoulder, riveting around to face him, "We've talked about this enough. Besides, I don't want to talk to _you,_ I want to talk to Sean. The real Sean. Not this—this thing!" she yelled, pushing him in the chest. Then she turned around, and before she could take two steps she froze and said, "You know what is bothering me the most? It's that this is all my fault. You've become angry and cold, and it's all because of me. I have been a fool." Then, she ran away, leaving Sean alone by the gates of the city.

Thanks for the comments so far you guys!! - Once again, don't hesitate to tell me what I'm doing wrong…haha! Any constructive criticism is awesome! ;)


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